The drill press is an essential piece of equipment for precision drilling.  It provides a simple, practical means to accomplish professional results for many woodworking chores.  In addition to drilling, this machine will do routing, shaping, surface planning, sanding and mortising with the same degree of accuracy as it can drill holes. In a drill press you can use twist bits, brad point bits, forstner bits, auger bits, hole saws, expansive bits and circle cutters.

The vertical distance from the chuck to the table at its lowest position determines the maximum thickness of work you can handle.  The distance the quill travels determines the maximum depth of hole that can be drilled without shifting the worktable.

Slow spindle speeds are best for metal and large holes in wood.  High speeds are best for routing and shaping wood.  With a 1750-rpm motor you may have speeds of 700, 1250, 2400 and 4700 rpm.  These speeds and more are usually achieved through step pulleys.   Some drill presses have variable speed control, and in these cases you don’t have to shift the belts to adjust the speeds.  The following are recommended industry speeds that you might wish to copy and tape on your drill press.

If your drill press drills out of round, the chuck as it fits on the arbor is out of alignment.  To correct this place a drill bit in the chuck and check run out with a dial indicator.  If the out of round is not within the desired tolerance, tap the chuck bottom with a rubber or leather mallet until you get the correct tolerance. When correct press the chuck into a piece of wood to register it in place. 

Drill press tables are a necessary add on and can be made to fit your table.  Ours has a sliding wooden fence and a removable table insert that is thrown away after too many holes are made in it.  It also allows for added depth when using the sanding drum attachment. The table is made of 2 pieces of laminated ¾” hardwood plywood.

We leave our mortising attachment installed most of the time and have modified the larger chisels to fit the 5/8” chuck. We now have chisels from ¼” to 1”.  The larger sizes have had the chisel ends milled to fit the chisel holder. The correct drill speed depends upon the size of the bit and the hardness of the wood.  Best results will be obtained in the range from 680 to 2400 rpm.   Use the slower speed for the larger diameters and the harder woods.

We hope that this will assist with your drill press operations and that the drill speed chart will be used as a guideline for future reference.

Brian Murphy
American Furniture Design Co

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